Teusink said he is seeing an alarming rate of elbow and shoulder injuries from Little Leagues to the pros, but he said most pitching injuries are preventable, like Nick Shannon’s.

“Baseball has been my life. I started playing when I was 4 or 5,” Shannon said.

Shannon was a standout pitcher at Cal State Bakersfield and hoped to make it to the pros until an elbow injury caused by years of nonstop baseball got the best of him. Now, as a coach, he wants to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to his players.

“It was extremely tough to be told that you can't play this game anymore because of injury, because of something that could've been prevented when I was younger just by not throwing as much,” he said.

Teusink said the key is rest. Don't pitch if you are tired. Don't pitch if you are hurting, and most importantly take a couple months off each year.

“When kids get into a lot of problems with pitching is when they pitch year-round and pitch when they are fatigued, and that's in the mechanics breakdown, that's when we start seeing the injuries to the shoulder and elbow,” Teusink said.

It may be hard for serious athletes to slow down or take a break, but Shannon said if you don't, the benches are where you could end up indefinitely.

“When I was young, I wasn't thinking about it. I was just thinking about getting out on the mound pitching, trying to win the game,” he said.

Shannon had Tommy John surgery on his elbow. About 16 pro players already had that same surgery this year.

WITH THE C-W-S IN FULL SWING, BASEBALL IS ALL THE BUZZ AROUND TOWN. BUT A LOCAL ORTHEPEDIC SURGEON SAYS PITCHING INJURIES NEED SOME ATTENTION TOO. HE'S SEEING AN ALARMING RATE OF ELBOW AND SHOULDER INJURIES .. FROM LITTLE LEAGUES TO THE PROS. AND AS KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN'S MOLLY MILES SHOWS US, THEY ARE -NATS- THE OLD ADAGE THAT "PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT" IS COMMON IN THE SPORTS WORLD, BUT ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON MATT ON THE PITCHERS MOUND.(UNMC ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON/MATT TEUSINK)Certainly repetition is important in building up important but there's a fine line between overdoing it as well. HE SAYS MOST PITCHING INJURIES ARE PREVENTABLE, CASE IN POINT, NICK SHANNON(SHANNON) Baseball has been my life I started playing like four and fiveHE WAS A STANDOUT PITCHER AT CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD AND HOPED TO MAKE IT TO THE PROS ...UNTIL YEARS OF NONSTOP BASEBALL GOT THE BEST OF HIM --nats--NOW A COACH HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE THE SAME THING DOESN'T HAPPEN TO HIS PLAYERS(SHANNON) It was extremely tough to be told that you can't play this game anymore because of injury because of something that could've been prevented when I was younger just by not TEUSINK SAYS THEY KEY IS REST ...DON'T PITCH IF YOU ARE TIRED, DON'T PITCH IF YOU ARE HURTING, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TAKE A COUPLE MONTHS OFF EACH YEAR.(TEUSINK) When kids get into a lot of problems with pitching is when they pitch year round and pitch when they are fatigued and that's in the mechanics breakdown that's when we start seeing the injuries to the shoulder and elbow(Standup) It may be hard for serious athletes to slow benches where you could end up indefinitely(SHANNON) When I was young I wasn't thinking about it I was just thinking about getting out on the mound pitching trying to win the game. WINS HE WOULD HAVE TRADED FOR THE CHANCE TO TAKE THE MOUND AGAIN. MM KETV NW7 SHANNON HAD "TOMMY JOHN SURGERY" ON HIS ELBOW.. 16 PRO

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